Meanwhile different opinions were being exchanged on the gangways.  Some would rather travel with the millions than carry a corpse along with them, even though it was that of a first-class mandarin.  Others considered the carrying of the treasure a danger to the passengers.  And that was the opinion of Baron Weissschnitzerdoerfer in a furious attack on Popof.

“You ought to have told us about it, sir, you ought to have told us about it!  Those millions are known to be in the train, and they will tempt people to attack us.  And an attack, even if repulsed, will mean delay, and delay I will not submit to!  No, sir, I will not!”

“No one will attack us,” replied Popof.  “No one will dream of doing it!”

“And how do you know that? how do you know that?”

“Be calm, pray.”

“I will not be calm; and if there is a delay, I will hold the company responsible!”

That is understood; a hundred thousand florins damages to Monsieur le
Baron Tour de Monde.

Let us pass to the other passengers.

Ephrinell looked at the matter, of course, from a very practical point of view.

“There can be no doubt that our risks have been greatly increased by this treasure, and in case of accident on account of it, the Life Travelers’ Society, in which I am insured, will, I expect, refuse to pay, so that the Grand Transasiatic Company will have all the responsibility.”

“Of course,” said Miss Bluett; “and if they had not found the missing van the company would have been in a serious difficulty with China.  Would it not, Fulk?”

“Exactly, Horatia!”

Horatia and Fulk—­nothing less.

The Anglo-American couple were right, the enormous loss would have had to be borne by the Grand Transasiatic, for the company must have known they were carrying a treasure and not a corpse—­and thereby they were responsible.

As to the Caternas, the millions rolling behind did not seem to trouble them.  The only reflection they inspired was, “Ah!  Caroline, what a splendid theater we might build with all that money!”

But the best thing was said by the Reverend Nathaniel Morse, who had joined the train at Kachgar.

“It is never comfortable to be dragging a powder magazine after one!”

Nothing could be truer, and this van with its imperial treasure was a powder magazine that might blow up our train.

The first railway was opened in China about 1877 and ran from Shanghai to Fou-Tcheou.  The Grand Transasiatic followed very closely the Russian road proposed in 1874 by Tachkend, Kouldja, Kami, Lan Tcheou, Singan and Shanghai.  This railway did not run through the populous central provinces which can be compared to vast and humming hives of bees—­and extaordinarily prolific bees.  As before curving off to Lan Tcheou; it reaches the great cities by the branches it gives out to the south and southeast.  Among others, one of these branches, that from Tai Youan to Nanking, should have put these two towns of the Chan-Si and Chen-Toong provinces into communication.  But at present the branch is not ready for opening, owing to an important viaduct not having finished building.